


11 Lewis Ficlets

by arda_ancalima



Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 10:26:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10304774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arda_ancalima/pseuds/arda_ancalima
Summary: Who would wear a flower crown, never ask for directions, or have a strong opinion on the pronunciation of “gif”? A collection of ficlets inspired by a tumblr ask meme.





	1. Flower Crown

**Author's Note:**

> These ficlets were inspired by this very fun ask meme from attabeen on tumblr. Not britpicked, so I apologize for any mistakes! Thank you to Misty_Ketchum97 (of fanfiction.net) and SiriKenobiWinchester for help and encouragement!

**_Character I’d like to see in a flower crown_ **

 

_James was so boring. He would just read all the time or play with Paul and Scarlett and the big kids. They wouldn’t let Nell come along. Too little, they would say. Well fine, she didn’t want to go into Wytham Woods anyway. But she wished someone would pay attention to her. James did sometimes, when he was babysitting her. Maybe he’d read to her for a while, or they would go for a walk. That was nice. Once on her birthday, James had taken her to a small clearing just inside the woods. Lifting her on a stump, he shyly pulled out a flower crown hidden behind it and placed it on Nell’s head. She felt like a princess._

“ _I put aside childish things_ …” Nell always felt a tiny bit of warmth from seeing young girls wear flower crowns. It spoke to her childhood self that loved fairies and princesses and magic. But now she was grown up and didn’t need that anymore. And James, who had made Nell her only flower crown ever, was only trying to make her life more difficult. She wished she didn’t have to see him so much lately. And she wished there wasn’t still a part of her that wanted to feel valued by him.


	2. Emotional Breakdown

**_Character I’d like to see have an emotional breakdown_ **

 

The generic ringtone of Hathaway’s phone interrupts Dr. Hobson’s answer and he excuses himself while Lewis keeps his attention on her. When Lewis thanks her for her explanation, Hobson nods and sighs, leaning back against her desk.

Something didn’t seem right to Lewis. “Everything okay, Laura?”

Another sigh. “I think I’ll struggle through,” Hobson said, close to her usual wry tone.

“No,” Lewis said, trusting his instinct, “something is the matter. What is it?”

“It’s-” Laura ran a hand over her face, hiding her eyes. “Nothing, Robbie.”

“You can tell me, Laura. I want to help you, if I can.”

Laura shook her head. “Hathaway will be waiting, you’d better go,” but her voice cracked on the last word. Lewis slowly enveloped her in a hug, giving her time to reject it if she wanted, but she melted into him as she tried to breathe deeply. After a few moments, she pulled away again.

“You really should be going, Robbie.”

Lewis looked at his watch and sighed. “Tell you what. Let’s get you a cup of tea before I go, and then tonight, work permitting, we can have a drink and talk. If that’s okay with you.”

Laura nodded, eyes squinting as she smiled and kept back tears. “That would be nice. Thanks Robbie.”

He put his arm around her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you that cup of tea.”


	3. Punched in the Face

**_Character I’d like to see get punched in the face_ **

 

“You have a skip in your step this morning, sergeant.”

“Ah, well I have experienced an increase in morale as a police officer.”

“Glad to hear it. What brought this on?”

“Did you see the news last night?”

“Peterson’s big bust, you mean? He’s going to have a nasty bruise on his gob from that fight, it looks like.”

“I was just thinking how pleased our fearless leader must be.”

“That the raid was a success?”

“And that they can add ‘assaulting a police officer’ to the charges.”

“…That is _definitely_ facetious.”


	4. Journey

**_Character most likely to sing along to journey songs in the car_ **

 

It was the conclusion of a long and unsettling case. After hours in the interview room, Lewis said they could knock off for the night. He hadn’t missed James’ distress throughout the case, especially with the death of the second victim—a student James interviewed early in the investigation. Such deaths hit him particularly hard. Of course Lewis felt it as well, but he was more accustomed to dealing with it. Val and Morse helped him learn to cope, and now he would help James.

Knowing Laura would be leaving about the same time, Lewis texted her to meet them in the car park. James followed numbly, burnt out from the intensity of the interview and emotion that went along with it. Lewis knew the feeling, and knew that James would just go along with him for now.

They got in the car and waited until Laura slipped in the back, greeting them cheerily.

“To the pub, I take it?” she asked.

“Think we deserve a reward for a job well done, don’t you, Hathaway?”

James shrugged. Lewis pulled out of the car park and onto the road.

They drove in silence, while Laura played on her phone and James remained glum. Glancing at his sergeant, Lewis tried to think of a way to lighten his mood a bit, or at least keep him grounded for the time being. He pressed play on the CD player, and leaned over to James.

“ _Watch this_ ,” he whispered.

The CD started to play “just a small town girl,” and Laura hummed along while she continued on her phone. By the final refrain, however, she had turned her phone into a microphone, singing and dancing as much as she could while restrained by a seatbelt.

Watching in the rear-view mirror, James’ mouth twisted into a small smile.


	5. Directions

**_Character who refuses to pull over and ask for directions on roadtrips_ **

 

Hathaway shifted a bit in the passenger seat of Lewis’s car, stealing a glance at him and then looking back out the window.

“Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Hathaway replied, keeping his gaze fixed outside.

“I know where I’m going.”

“I would never doubt your natural sense of direction in Oxford, sir,” Hathaway said, “but how often do you drive out of the city? In the country?”

“Look, I read a map before we left, all right? I’m sure we’re on the right road.”

“But are we going the right way?” Hathaway muttered, and then continued louder. “We should have gotten there ten minutes ago. Come on, we just passed some joggers, why not ask them?”

“Cause I know where we are. Now shut up and let me drive.”

Sighing, Hathaway sat back and mentally prepared to miss yet another band practice.


	6. Stubbed Toes

**_Character who always stubs their toes on the washing machine_ **

 

James’ big left toe was perpetually bruised.

He thought he had long ago conquered the clumsiness that came with multiple growth spurts when he was young, but one feat eluded him.

Every week when he did laundry, he would stub his toe on the washing machine. Every time. Not that it hurt much, but any bruise stood out on his pale foot that rarely saw the sun. The night before laundry day he would sometimes notice the bruise was light and would probably heal in another day if he were careful. Then the next day he would dump in his clothes, add soap, think about the book he was about to continue reading, start the machine, turn away, and _bang_ —another bruise on top of the last.


	7. Starbucks

**_Character who changes their starbucks order ten times_ **

 

“Could you make that a Caramel Brulée Latte instead?”

Of all the things that Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent was excellent at, ordering a Starbucks was not one of them. She usually made her own morning coffee at home, or on a rare occasion, Mr. Innocent made it for both of them. But today, Mr. Innocent was away again, _and_ Jean had a meeting with the Assistant Chief Constable that she knew would be an enormous pain. Today she deserved a treat.

Now if only she knew the best thing to get…

She supposed James Hathaway was probably the sort of coffee connoisseur that could tell her _exactly_ what to order and how, maybe off the secret menu. Unless Starbucks was beneath him.

But it was Jean’s little indulgence, and if anything could help get her through a frustrating day, she would take it. A little bit of the warmth and sweetness few imagined she had. Or wanted.

“Oh wait, can you make it-”


	8. Late

**_Character who shows up late for everything_ **

 

“Sorry I’m late!”

James looked up from his phone and saw Lizzie hurrying through the café to him. “Tony called and then I noticed the bins had fallen over.”

“Seriously Lizzie,” James said as she sat down. “If you were late for work as often as you’re late for anything else-”

“Yeah well at least I’ve always got a good excuse,” Lizzie said. “Remember when you left me waiting for thirty minutes because you were reading about astrobiology?”

James pushed a mug across the table. “Drink your coffee, it’s getting cold.” He shook his head and muttered. “Sergeants these days…”

Lizzie only smirked.


	9. The Worst Kisser

**_Character who is the worst kisser_ **

 

Lewis was just straightening his tie as he entered the living room where his sergeant was waiting. “Ready to go?”

Hathaway stared at his hand in disgust. “As soon as I de-cat myself.”

Lewis chuckled. “I’m glad to see you’re finally becoming friends.”

“More like your cat saw fit to saturate my hand with its sickening saliva.”

“What, did Monty give you a kiss?”

Hathaway glared from the kitchen sink. “Monty is a terrible kisser.”


	10. 45 Minute Showers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight Robbie/Laura, to the extent that they live together.

**_Character who takes 45 minutes showers_ **

 

Robbie was surprised to find how much he forgot about sharing a house since Valarie died and the kids moved out. And Laura hadn’t shared a house since university. Once in a while there was a painful jap for Robbie, as random things like setting the table together brought back images of Val. Sometimes the reminders were comforting, like reading in bed together before turning out the light. It was awkward yet a little endearing as they negotiated old and new routines with each other. But what perplexed Robbie was that Laura managed to take 45 minute showers.

“Luv,” he called one night, “are you almost finished?”

“I thought you’d already brushed your teeth, Robbie.”

“Yeah I have, just…wondering if you’re coming to bed?”

“I’ll be out in a bit but don’t feel you have to wait up.”

_Just glad she doesn’t do this in the morning or I’d never get to work on time_ , Robbie thought. Although, he could understand wanting to wash off the lingering scents of a hospital or morgue. Both the actual smell and the feeling that clung to you if you had been there too long. Or maybe she just really enjoyed long showers. The humming he could now hear seemed to indicate it. Nothing like Val, but Laura’s quirks were what made her Laura. Robbie grinned thinking about it.


	11. Gif

**_Character who gets most bent out of shape over the pronunciation of gif_ **

 

Gurdip had just finished explaining the bulk of the website to Hathaway when Lewis walked in.

“What have you found?”

Hathaway scrolled through the home page again for Lewis, repeating what Gurdip had told him (in simpler terms for the elderly).

It was unnecessary because Lewis mostly followed it fine. “Hold up, go back to that video that kept repeating.”

Hathaway nodded. “The one with the victim dancing? Oh, and it’s not a video, it’s a gif.”

“ _JIF_.”

Lewis and Hathaway both spun around, forgetting for a moment that Gurdip was still there.

“Pardon?”

“It’s pronounced ‘jif,’ sarge,” Gurdip said.

Hathaway looked confused. “But it stands for ‘Graphics Interchange Format’ doesn’t it? That would make it a hard ‘g.’

Gurdip shook his head furiously. “The creator says it’s ‘jif.’ Who would know better how it’s pronounced?”

“But the people who create words don’t control how they’re used,” Hathaway said. “Think of how much the meanings and pronunciations of words have evolved since-”

“All right, that’s enough,” Lewis raised his hands. “I don’t know what peanut butter and old English have got to do with this case, but I would like to know what’s significant about this website.”

“Of course, sir.” Hathaway nodded seriously. “So back to the… _jif_.”


End file.
